Pierre Belon's 1553 account described Menkaure's pyramid as still intact, and John Greaves in 1639 made no mention of the great breach. Luigi Mayer's 1792 painting shows it as it looks today. Edward Lane documented in 1820 that Menkaure's entrance was still obscured by fallen granite blocks. The breach was likely made by stone robbers hunting for an entrance during casing stone removal in the medieval period.
Great Breach explained as 17th-century treasure hunt, not medieval demolition
EgyptArchitecture
Key facts
- Pierre Belon's 1553 French description stated Menkaure's pyramid remained intact showing no signs of ruin
- John Greaves in 1639 made no mention of the great breach
- Luigi Mayer's 1792 painting shows the great breach as it exists today
- Edward Lane documented in 1820 that Menkaure's entrance was still obscured by fallen granite blocks
- The great breach was made by stone cutters searching for an entrance after accidentally discovering Khafre's burial chamber
- The breach was a crime of opportunity made by people already dismantling Menkaure's casing stones
Site mentioned
Sources
isida-project.ucoz.com
Linked in video description
giza.fas.harvard.edu
Linked in video description
Pyramid of Menkaureen.wikipedia.org
The great breach that scars the northern face (cf. below) of the pyramid exposes the internal structure of the monument.
Air-filled anomalies in Menkaure Pyramid could indicate a ...phys.org
Air-filled anomalies in Menkaure Pyramid could indicate a new entrance · Image fusion of all measured data is decisive · 'The hypothesis of an ...
Hidden voids found in Menkaure pyramid hint at secret ...sciencedaily.com
Researchers have discovered two hidden air-filled voids lurking behind the smooth eastern face of the Menkaure pyramid—an area long suspected to ...
Why is there a big gash in the side of the Pyramid ...history.stackexchange.com
Why is there a big gash in the side of the Pyramid of Menkaure? If you look at a picture of the pyramid, on the side where they have the entrance ...
Pyramid of Menkauresmarthistory.org
This is the smallest of the three, rising to a height of 65 meters (213 feet), but the complex preserved some of the most stunning examples of sculpture
Keep exploring
Every site on this page sits on the globe, and the people who research them are on the Discord.
3D Globe · Sites by country · Story Archive · Research Library · Weekly Journal · Search
AI-generated text · images from the original sources · always verify with the sources.